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Friday, May 31, 2013

Simplicity 6761, McCalls 5394 and a Birthday Boy!!!!

Today is an ESPECIALLY SPECIAL day!!!! Today's my Hubby's birthday!!!! I'm so excited!!!

I love this guy, he's my best friend, a wonderful Hubby, great Dad and my biggest supporter. He's joined me on my sewing journey 9 years ago and has never looked back. He's watched me make the prettiest and not so prettiest garments. He's helped me those late sewing nights as I struggled to meet a deadline. And he's always encouraged me to keep going even when I was so close to giving up (more times than I can count). Because of him I don't even have to sneak fabric into the house. He just turns a blind eye, allowing me to do what I need to do. He critiques my garments and offers good advice. Now some things have changed over the years. He's not likely to be caught dead in any Jo-Ann's--- not unless it's on fire and he's got to go in and rescue me LOL!!!!

So I thought I'd get cute for his birthday. You know do a little something, something (wink, wink). As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I found some really cute-bright-colored legging fabric from Jo-Ann's. I just knew it would make a cute pair of leggings. The fabric feels great to wear and has just the right amount of thickness. Because the leggings are so bright in color I needed to pair them with the right top. Unfortunately I didn't have anything in my closet that would go really well with this so whipped up this cute little top. I'm learning to never underestimate the power of a cute, simple little top in the right fabric. It can really go the distance. And that's that---a quick and cute outfit for my Hubby's bday. He absolutely loved it, especially the top. We went out to dinner and had a great time. I've already reviewed the leggings pattern HERE. Here's the review for the top.......

Simplicity 6761
(This pattern is out of print. I recently received it as a gift from someone.)

(Photos taken at sunset. Unfortunately the colors aren't truly represented (the leggings and matching flowers in the top are actually a bit darker & more vivid as this bathroom photo confirms......

.....see what I mean?)

Time to Sew:

I think from cutting to sewing took about 2 hours. The top only has 2 pattern pieces!

Sewing Ease (scale 1 easy to 10 difficult):

I'd give this a 1. Almost like sewing a pillow case. Yes just that simple.

Pattern Description:

Top with gathered neckline and tie.

Pattern Sizing:

I cut the size 8 for the top and graded to a 12 beneath the bust to the hem. I wanted mine a bit looser on the bottom.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern
envelope once you were done sewing with it?

YES!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

YES!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the
pattern?

Love the simple style and knew it would go great with leggings.

Fabric Used:

Rayon/poly knit with multicolor floral designs from Fabric.com.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you
made:

I originally cut the back on the fold failing to take into account how the back tied up. To fix I just cut the top center back about 4" down and continued with the instructions. It was an easy fix. I also sewed the side seams all the way to the bottom and didn't make the slits. I used narrow gold rope for the neck ties instead of ribbon.

What would you do differently next time?:

Cut the back pattern piece as 2 pieces and do my usual short back alteration removing 1" from center back and tapering to the sides.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to
others?

YES!

Wardrobe Versatility:

It's a cute little top that can be paired up with short or a skirt also.

Very cute top, and you're right it is a simple pattern but the beauty of simple patterns is they can be sewn up fast and always look different, depending on the choice of fabric, cotton/linen for summery day top or silky satin for night out! I love your top, you proved you are not afraid of colors, good job! Happy B-day to your DH, such a lovely pic!!

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I love to sew! It is like the air I breathe! I'm constantly trying to improve my skills. Experts have said it takes 10,000 hours of hard work to become an expert seamstress (before you panic read my first entry for more info or read the book, "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell:). I'm on a mission to test this theory. You're welcome to join me on this journey---one hour at a time!